Flush valve guide



Dec. 1, 1959 c. w. NIELSEN 2,914,774

FLUSH VALVE cum;

Filed May 6, 1958 C/IIISII'GI? W. Nielsen INVENTOR.

FLUSH VALVE GUIDE Christian W. Nielsen, Long Beach, Calif.

Application May 6, 1958, Serial No. 733,364 I 1 Claim. 01. 4-57 This invention relates to toilet flush tanks and more particularly to a flush valve guide.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive but very dependable toilet flush valve guide adapted .to be attached to the overflow pipe and the outflow fitting of a conventional water closet. The guide has an important feature, its mechanical simplicity, consisting entirely of a plurality of rods that are connected together to form a passageway for the flush valve ball whereby the travel of the ball is constrained to vertical movement in direct alignment with the flush valve seat.

.Another important feature of the invention is the ease with which it can be attached to an existing fitting and o erflow pipe. There are snap-on connectors for the fitting and the overflow pipe, making it possible to attach the fitting very securely in less than one minute. After original installation it is unnecessary to adjust or otherwise maneuver the guide. It remains in its proper place to serve its valve ballguiding function.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the flush valve guide attached to the water closet outflow fitting and overflow pipe and showing the valve ball in the guide. Figure 2 is a top view of the guide per se. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the guide. In the accompanying drawings there is shown a conventionrl outflow fitting 10 together with, an overflow pipe 12 operatively connected, to the fitting. The seat United States Patent ice end of the guide 20 to the outflow fitting 10. The means for fastening the upper end of the guide 20 to the overflow pipe 12 consist of an open loop 32 preferably constructed of wire and having outwardly curved ends 34 and 36 that are adapted to be cammed over the surface of pipe 12 so that the clamp formed by the part 32 can be snapped over the overflow pipe.

In installing the guide, the lower end has partial ring 28 snapped into recess 18 While the upper end has the loop or ring 32 snapped over the outer surface of the overflow pipe 12. a

It is intended that an ordinary chain that is used with ball 16 be substituted by a plastic cord 40. The upper end of the plastic cord is attached to the toilet trip lever (not shown) while the lower end of the cord 40 is attached to ring 42 on the valve member 16 or attached in some other way to the valve member.

In operation the four risers 21, 22, 23 and 24 constrain the travel of the valve member 16, requiring that it return properly into seat 14 after each flushing cycle.

Although more complex flush valve guides have been constructed and used in the past, this flush valve guide is deemed much more dependable because the risers are perfectly straight and the ball slides freely between them. Moreover, there is a great measure of mechanical simplicity not only in the inherent design of this flush valve guide but also in the means for fastening it in place on the-particular parts of the water closet mech- 14 in fitting 10 accommodates the conventional flush valve member 16, usually a ball, .in the ordinary way. The fitting has a circumferential recess or groove 18, all of this being conventional equipment.

Theguide 20 is mounted in the flush tank and attached to fitting 10 and also to the overflow pipe 12. Guide 20 is constructed of a plurality of risers 21, 22, 23 and 24. These are made of wires arranged parallel to each other and attached at their upper ends to a ring 26. The lower ends of all of the risers are secured to partial ring 28 that functions as a clamp receivable in the groove 18. There is enough elasticity in the entire guide and especially ring 28, for the ring to snap over the fitting 10 into the groove. For strength, rigidity and support at the upper end of guide 20, there is a transverse brace 30 attached to ring 26 and extending approximately diametrically thereacross.

Ring 28 constitutes the means for fastening the lower anism that have been described.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A flush valve guide comprising a vertically elongated cage adapted to receive a valve ball therein, said cage being formed entirely from wire rods and including a set of spaced vertical side members, a continuous top ring secured to the upper ends of said side members and rigidly connecting the same together whereby the upper end of said cage is of a fixed diameter, a diametrically extending cross bar provided in said top ring, a partial bottom ring secured to the lower ends of said side members with an open portion of the bottom ring being disposed between two adjacent side members in the set, said bottom ring and the lower portions of the side members being resilient whereby the bottom ring may be passed over and frictionally retained on a valve outlet fitting, and a resilient overflow pipe engaging clamp secured to and projecting radially outwardly from said top ring in substantial vertical alignment with the open portion of said bottom ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,754 Roberts Sept. 12, 1933 2,121,362 Marten June 21, 1938 2,650,369 Alliss Sept. 1, 1953 2,668,960 Barrett-Lennard Feb. 16, 1954 2,746,061 Bennett May 22, 1956 2,777,135 Harkness Jan. 15, 1957 

